Lost Again

Lost Again was recorded with Isaac Lill, Jack Sullivan, Madeleine Sullivan and Jonathan Morgan before I went to College. Due to technical difficulties, however… it is still on Jack’s Hard drive some where. (Jack had the misfortune of two computer crashes, thus the technical difficulties.)

I recorded another version (although it is no match for the multi-instrumental previous version) and all I had was my guitar and my lips… literally. This is the only song which I have whistled along with to give depth (and some sound other than my voice and guitar.) It turned out pretty well and I had a fun time doing it.

Maybe if there are enough requests (five comments worth) I will record the Andy Griffith Show Theme Song for ya .

Otherwise, here is Lost Again. You can find the lyrics here.

Lost Again

If you really enjoyed this song, remember that you can chip in a dollar toward my families mission trip to Belize and get this song (or another one that you choose) in return. To see the details, check out:






Kudos To Audacity, with which I recorded this song.

A Word To My Son

Here is the second song out! If y’all enjoyed “Glimpses of a Promise” then you may like this one as well. I am ALWAYS open to critique and thoughts. This is “A Word to My Son.” It may have been the first song I wrote. You can find the lyrics and its original post here.



A Word to My Son



Kudos To Audacity, with which I recorded this song.

Glimpses of a Promise, First Recording Out

I have finally been able to record some of  my songs which yall requested that I put to music. I am happy to oblige yall, so here is Glimpses of a Promise, the first of  several recordings which should be coming up in the span of these next few weeks. Of the songs I have written, “Glimpses of a Promise” and “A Word to My Son” are my favorites. You can find the lyrics and original post of this song here.

Glimpses of a Promise




Kudos To Audacity, with which I recorded this song.

Once Upon a Time…

I spent my first 11 years living on St. Maarten and Dominica (not the republic). My parents were missionaries to the area. We faced numerous hurricanes that destroyed many of the native houses and some of our homes too. They did destroy almost all of our pictures. Sometimes we flew to the United States for furlough or for medical emergencies since the doctors in the islands were not as educated as the ones in the states.

I remember that all of the toys I received would not stay long since theft was a normal part of life for the area. My favorite toy that I kept guarded for a week before someone walked into our house and took it, while I was gone to get bread in the village, was a white poodle that had a radio in its tummy. My sister got a black one just like it. We learned to have fun with whatever we found. Marbles and rounders (kind of like baseball and cricket mixed together) were favorite games of the area.

We had a maid who helped cook and wash while my mom taught school to us and some native school friends.
We had no modern conveniences like now. For example, to wash clothes, we walked to a river with the baskets of clothes on our head. Then we wet them in the river a few at a time so none would wash down stream. Then we added soap to each one and rubbed them on rocks and then rinsed them in the river and hung them on nearby bushes or rocks to dry.

My favorite dish was fish and dumplings or Chicken and dumplings. My second favorite was dried salted fish or tee-tee-wee patties. These patties were made from hundreds of extremely small fish mixed with some flour and salt and water. They were fried in oil. But my all time favorite, even now, was fresh fruit. Especially passion fruit, mangoes and guava which could usually be picked off trees growing by the road.

It was a much simpler life then but there are good, happy, sad, and bad memories as all people have from their childhood.

When I re-visited Dominica with my oldest son, Nathan, 10 years ago, it seemed much dirtier and the river was polluted and the houses/shacks were crowded so much that only one very thin person could walk between them. It had changed in several ways but stayed the same in others. The innocent romance of remembrance of it is a bit more updated and realistic. But I still love most of the memories and am glad I was able to experience that country as a child.
When we moved to the states in 1981, my eyes were opened to the excesses of Americans and the apathy that came with it. I think anyone who has a chance to take a trip with their kids to another country, should take it and pray over it. Pray for it to be eye-opening and faith building and life changing toward God for all involved.

Mom was a missionary kid; this is her story and she is the reason missions are a big part of me.

Our whole family is going on a two week mission trip to Belize and it is something we are very much looking forward to. I am excited about it because it has long term potential, but that’s for another post. Right now, suffice it to say that we will be taking pictures and I will be enthusiastically posting stories and photos here, and on the facebook page. If you wan’t to have a thumb in this pie, you can subscribe to the blog or follow the facebook page!
In the meantime, help us prepare for this incredible trip, all it takes is a dollar and sharing this post with your friends.










Belize 2012




On August 4, my family and I will be heading back to missions work.
This time, we are going to Belize for three weeks to help build an orphanage with Grace Bible Church.




A family of six is not cheap to ship nor house.
We have to raise $2000  more dollars before June to make this two week  family mission trip a reality.




And that’s the Mission.




Our Goal:

• Use this time to bring together the whole family. (Including that kid who moved off to college recently…)
• Examine possible permanent mission work in that area.
• Spread God’s love and be a blessing to those we meet.




Belize 2012:

We will be helping “Samuel’s Sanctuary,” which has partnered with “Orphanos Foundation.” Samuel’s Sanctuary is a new orphanage being opened up by missionaries Dino Roseland, his wife, and daughter. The Roseland’s were previous members of our church.

The orphanage will be a multi-functional facility dedicated to at-risk children, ministry training and will include:

• Dormitories for orphaned, abandoned, and abused children.
• Housing for young, single mothers and their children.
• A hostel for short-term mission teams and interns.
• A center for discipling the Belizean people and training missionaries.

Specifically, our group will be participating in work projects around the property and providing a Vacation Bible School for the children.






The Challenge:

I have been blessed to cross paths with a lot of great people and I look forward to meeting more. If each person who visited this blog donated a dollar and then shared this challenge to donate on facebook and twitter, my family and I would be well on our way to fully funded.

So, here is the the deal… Donate a dollar, like our facebook page, share this with facebook friends and Tweet about it.





But there are some goodies attached.



The Music… And More.

Music: I have written songs and have finally been able to record them. In return for donating, you can pick a song (or more) of your choice. Check out “Nathan’s Music” for the selections, and stay tuned because there is more coming weekly.

Exley Family Apiary: Also… We are going to be raffling off some of our most famous Exley Products (honey, bees wax lip balm, home made soap, and the epicness goes on). You can check out the baskets also on the“Nathan’s Music” page.



Will You Take the Challenge?

Donate a dollar, like our facebook page, share the challenge with facebook friends and Tweet about it.
As always, we would covet your prayers as we prepare for this incredible trip. I will keep yall updated via the facebook page, so make sure to follow us there!

God Bless!

On Being A Man: Conclusion… Church, Masculinity and Masterminds

Mr. Spafford was a wealthy Chicago Lawyer and a close friend of D. L. Moody who had experienced enough tragedy to sit with Job in his moaning. He lost his only son to Scarlet Fever, all his holdings in Real Estate to the Great Chicago Fire, and his remaining four daughters drowned in a ship wreck, leaving him and his wife as the only survivors of their family.

The Seven Manly virtues are Manliness, Courage, Industry, Resolution, Self-Sufficiency, Discipline and Honor. It’s one thing to know all the virtues, but it’s a whole other ball game to put them into practice. All of us will be approached by leering disappointment and have the bony fingers of tragedy wrapped around our necks at some point. But when that happens how will you respond?  Will you run away? Horatio Gates Spafford’s response is worth examining. On the way to meet his mourning wife in England, he passed over the waters that had swallowed his four daughters. In the darkness of the shadow of death, he retired to his cabin and wrote the hymn “It is Well with My Soul.” It’s one thing to know all the virtues, but it’s a whole other ball game to put them into practice. This post is where the rubber meets the road. By changing your perspective to Kingdom thinking, finding accountability and getting connected, you become stronger in faith and stronger as a man in general.

 

Change your perspective…

…of you…

Who is going to sit on the throne of your heart? Are you going to serve yourself? Remember the first virtue…

“Manliness means perfect manhood…Manliness is the character of a man as he ought to be, as he was meant to be.”  ~ Every-Day Religion, 1886, By James Freeman Clarke.

Man was meant to be selfless. Man was meant to serve his creator and worship Him. The virtues just flesh out how. “Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him.” We are meant to worship, honor, and serve God, but our selfishness tends to get in the way of this… a lot. Work for the kingdom, not yourself.

And of the church…

The virtues in this series really aren’t anything new. Jesus Christ has been calling us to fulfill them ever since he gave the disciples the world mandate. Specifically through the church. Change your perspective of the church. Its not just a place to meet every Sunday, its a place to host world changing movements and projects. Its where Christ had originally planned for us to grow. The way we grow the most, is through mastermind groups.

Get Accountability; Found a Mastermind Group:

The mastermind group is also nothing new, its just a different name for accountability and what Churches used to do, just with a much more clear purpose. A Mastermind group is:

“a mind that is developed through the harmonious co-operation of two or more people who ally themselves for the purpose of accomplishing any given task.” The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill

In other words it’s a group minds gathered together as one for the purpose of something other than eating lunch. Found a Mastermind group in your church, Scout Troop, Speech and Debate Club or, if you really have no other options, lunch club. Dedicate it to sharpening Mental and Physical Efficiency, Discipline, Honor, Courage, Industry and Resolution and holding each other accountable for the Glory of God and the enhancement of His Kingdom.

You know the virtues, now go find a group of fellow guys who wants to pursue them and hold each other accountable to that goal; As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. There have been several famous Mastermind Groups in history to look too for examples:

The Junto, founded by Benjamin Franklin, had twelve members that came together to discuss personal improvement, debate politics, theology and science.

The Tennis Cabinet was a group of men whom Theodore Roosevelt gathered as his romping buddies during his term at the White House.

The Vagabonds was a mastermind group composed of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren G. Harding, Harvey Firestone. They met and camped regularly.

The Inklings, made up of an assortment of great poets and authors, refined and helped to turn out The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. A few of its members were C.S. Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield.

The Church was founded by a group of twelve fishermen and laborers who spread the news about the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ in everything that they did. The fruit of their Mastermind group still stands today.

Found a mastermind group; dig into and put into practice the Seven Manly Virtues for the Glory of God and His Kingdom.

Here are a few tips for groups in general. If you are interested in more details, “Get Connected” will point you to what to do next.

• Group Goal: to cultivate Mental and Physical Efficiency, Discipline, Honor, Courage, Industry, Resolution and hold its members accountable to those virtues for the Glory of God and the enhancement of His Kingdom.
• Group Occupation: Accountability must not be the only thing the group does. Each group should have a specific occupation. For example, Filmmaking, authorship, debate, political activism, music or public speaking. Just as Theodor Roosevelt’s Tennis Cabinet was for the purpose of exercise and the Inklings critiqued literature and ideas, each group needs a specific occupation through which it can actively use accountability and the seven virtues.
• Group Meetings: must be consistent. Additionally, have a yearly retreat of some sort. Meetings are best held under a pre-existing organization. Clubs, churches and other organizations were meant to be have some manner of a mastermind group to begin with, so they would probably be very conductive or yours.
• Get Your Group Connected…

Get Connected:

Once you have a mastermind group, connect and start others. If done correctly, you are essentially planting churches where ever you initiate a group that remains true to Scripture and God’s calling. Tria Chordae Ministries (TCM) was founded to help young men start groups like this and connect them to others around the nation. I started this ministry last year with the help of Jack Sullivan and a few others. However, the site was hacked and is no longer in service. That doesn’t mean it’s down for the count though. I plan on starting it back up next semester with more training under my belt and hopefully with a number of mastermind groups to get it off the ground. If you are interested in starting a mastermind group, let me know in the comments. The TCM website, when its up, will have details and tools for you to use in starting your group. Approach building your group with wisdom and patience.

TCM and social media are conduits that I plan on using to spark a revival in Godly Manhood. Meanwhile, where are you going to be standing when tragedy hits? I challenge you to strive to be Disciplined, Courageous, and Industrious, Honorable, Self-Sufficient, and Resolved; Be Kingdom focused, and may God’s Grace go with you, as you work toward His Glory.

Amen

---

Thank you’s and Credits…

Brett and Kate McKay’s website (artofmanliness.com) and their book (Manvotionals; Timeless Wisdom and Advice on living the 7 Manly Virtues) were invaluable resources in helping find articles and quotes for this series. If you enjoyed the quotes I had in each of the posts, look into buying their book (mentioned above) for more manly articles and fantastic quotes from men in the past. Also be sure to check out their website.

Eric Ludy’s book (God’s Gift to Women: Discovering the Lost Greatness of Masculinity) provided excellent spiritual backing for manliness and contributed a lot to my thought process. This is also a good book to own.

Manly Virtue No. 7: Honor… and its Five Parts

Well, this is the last manly virtue… but not the last post on the matter at all. No; to close the series, I want to propose an idea to you. But that is next week or so. I am in the middle of prepping for college exams, so I don’t know when I will get to it. But right now, the seventh and final manly virtue is Honor. Honor essentially means integrity. Just like the rest, there is an incredible amount behind it. Honor has five parts: Truth, Fidelity, Courtesy, Reverence, and Modesty.

The following quotes are from Malcolm Douglass’ brilliant address in1871, unless otherwise noted.

Truth

“…Truth of purpose, which you call Ingenuousness—Truth of action, which you call Honesty—Truth of speech, which you call veracity—Truth of manners, which you call Candor—Truth of life, which you call Integrity—Truth of principle, which you call Uprightness. Be true then to your word; be true to your promises; be true to your instructors; be true to your fellow students; be true to yourselves; and be true to your God.”

Truth of purpose, or ingenuousness, is living in such a way that everyone knows what you are about. A man of honor has no hidden agenda; his decisions are transparent and free of ulterior motives.

Truth of action, or honesty, is acting in a straightforward manner. A man of honor is not manipulative or deceptive in his actions towards others.

Truth of speech, or veracity, is having accuracy of speech. A man of honor doesn’t say anything he isn’t sure to be true. If he doesn’t know, he does not claim to and acknowledges it freely. That is why his word can be relied upon when he does assert a fact.

Truth of manners, or Candor, is free expression of true feelings and opinions. A man of honor is mature in his emotions, opinions and his expressions of them. Robert E. Lee said in a letter to his son…

“If you have any fault to find with anyone, tell him, not others, of what you complain. There is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man’s face and another behind his back. We should live and act and say nothing to injure of anyone. It is not only best as a matter of principle but it is the path to peace and honor.”

Truth of life, or Integrity, is the quality of being complete and undivided. What you see is what you get. A man of honor is the same person at all times and never waivers in his purpose.

Truth of principle, or uprightness, is having an accurate moral compass. A man of honor doesn’t try to prove himself but is simply confident as he walks in the fear of the Lord.

Fidelity

“Fidelity is the soul of trustworthiness. It is loyalty to that position in which God has placed you, and to the various trusts which are committed to you.”

The reason we as men have to take an active role in our nation is because God expects us to be loyal to the institutions he has placed us under. He expects our first loyalty to be to Him, then to family and then country. Jeremiah 29:7 says: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Courtesy

“Courtesy is a kindly desire and a considerate effort for the comfort and happiness of those around you… It is a specific antidote to selfishness. It is a precise fulfillment, in your manners, in your words, in your gestures, of the golden rule… It teaches you, if you have hastily or thoughtlessly given pain to another, to break through the false shame and evil pride which would prevent you from acknowledging and remedying your fault.”

Reverence

“If you would cherish in yourselves true honor and self-respect, cultivate also the spirit of Reverence: Reverence for all persons and all things which are to be reverenced. Your Parents are to be reverenced… the guardians and keepers of the Nation’s power and liberties are to be reverenced, whatever their political views may be… We may be as decided as we choose upon political theories and principles, but we must reverence the Ruler for the office’s sake… Those who grant honor where honor is due, will not fail in their turn to receive it.”

Modesty

“In conversation, rather inquire than declaim, rather follow than lead; or, if your duty and position calls you to lead, then strive to draw our others rather than to make a display of yourself. In setting forth your own capacities and merits, rather obtain the endorsement of others whose judgments and opinions are worthy of respect, than take pains to assert your own opinion of our worth. In your intercourse with others, and especially with those of the opposite sex, be respectful, be courteous, be pure-minded, be pure worded, be deferential. Do not be tempted under any circumstances, or upon any occasion, to give up a certain amount of quiet reserve, into which you will permit no one whatever to intrude.”

Such is the man of Honor.

Because this is finals week, I will have to cut this post short, but I want to leave you with three rules of thumb on honor.

West Point Cadet Code:

• Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived?
• Does this action gain or allow the gain of privilege or advantage to which I or someone else would not otherwise be entitled?
• Would I be satisfied by the outcome if I were on the receiving end of this action?

“You are growing up to live, and move, and act, in the world of men, to be Citizens of this or some similar community; and the sense of true Honor which you manifest in our youth will cling round you, and ennoble and dignify you in your age. With greater and greater earnestness, then, avoid and fosake all that is low, base, mean unworthy, and depraved, and follow the right and true way; aiming to set in yourselves an example of the beautiful union of these grand constituents of true manly Honor: Truth; Fidelity; Courtesy; Reverence; Modesty.”

Manly Virtue No. 6: Discipline

Eric Weisz was born in Hungary in 1874 and immigrated to the U.S. at a very young age. The rest of his history is obscure, but he grew into a young man who knew locks. Eric was also very good with sleight of hand tricks and became a big attraction at the local circus dime show. He wasn’t there long because his skill was in much more than just cards and locks, it was in escape. Eric grew in fame as he escaped every pair of handcuffs with which he was shackled. He also got out of strait jackets, coffins, jail cells and six feet of earth. Eric Weisz gained national fame and traveled the globe as the Handcuff King and Escape Artist Extraordinaire. But we know him better as Harry Houdini.

How did he do it? Discipline. The training he put himself through is enough to make anyone cringe, but he could escape because of it. Resolve is a good pre-cursor to discipline because you must have the discipline to carry out your resolve. They are two sister virtues that must come together or not at all. From resolving to read this horrendously long article, to resolving to escape six feet of earth alive, it all takes discipline. But I hope you will do it. There are four parts to discipline: Habit, Will, Focus and Efficiency. Discipline is the difference between escape and death, success and failure, riches and bare existence, Godliness and foolishness, manliness and boyhood. It doesn’t take being a Houdini to be disciplined; it only takes understanding its rudimentary parts.

Discipline through Habit

“This fact applies to everything that we do, and to every relation of our lives. We can make a habit of honesty, of industry, of kindliness, of attention, of courtesy, and of whatever we will. Indeed, Aristotle, one of the wisest men of antiquity, defined virtue as a habit of right doing… Another great advantage that springs from the fixity of habits is found in the fact that, by means of this, our lives may make real progress.” ~ Charles Carroll Everett.

Discipline through Will

Check out the full article here

 

Strength in will is intense. You can tell just by looking at the kid’s faces. Those who persevered struggled visibly. But that is nothing compared to what Houdini did…

“I want to be first. I vehemently want to be first. First in my profession… For that I give all the thought, all the power, that is in me. To stand at the head of my rank: it is all I ask… so I have struggled and fought. I have done and abstained; I have tortured my body and risked my life, only for that – to have one plank on the stage where they must fall back and cry “Master!”… I am strong, as you see; strong in flesh, but my will has been stronger than my flesh. I have struggled with iron and steel, with locks and chains; I have burned, drowned, and frozen till my body has become almost insensible to pain; I have done things which rightly I could not do, because I said to myself, “You must”; and now I am old at 36. A man is only a man, and the flesh revenges itself. Yet the will is its master when the will is strong enough.” ~ Harry Houdini

Discipline through Focus

There are two parts to focus: doing but one thing at a time and being one in purpose and action. In a letter to his son, Lord Chesterfield wrote:

“A man is fit for neither business nor pleasure who either cannot, or does not, command and direct his attention to the present object, and in some degree banish, for that time, all other objects from his thoughts… There is time enough for everything, in the course of the day, if you do but one thing at once; but there is not time enough in the year, if you will do two things at a time… This steady and dissipated attention to one object is a sure mark of a superior genius; as hurry, bustle, and agitation, are the never-failing symptoms of a weak and frivolous mind.”

Second, you must be one man; one in purpose and in action:

“My man, first of all consider what kind of thing it is: and then examine your own nature, if you are able to sustain the character… different men are formed by nature for different things…You must be one man, either good or bad. You must either cultivate your own ruling faculty, or external things; you must either exercise your skill on internal things or on external things; that is you must either maintain the petition of a philosopher or that of a common person.” ~ Epictetus

Discipline through Efficiency

Houdini was a master in physical efficiency. He tied knots with his toes and worked a deck of cards while conversing with guests. He also took ice baths and submerged himself under water to where he could hold his breath for four minutes. Because he was physically efficient, he was the best in what he did. But what about being mentally efficient? Here is the kicker. We are notorious for all of the diets and work outs we put our body through to get it in shape. However, we are sorely lacking in having our mental faculties as sharp as they should be. Being mentally efficient is just as important as being physically efficient in discipline. Here are a few tips from a 1911 article by Arnold Bennett:

“A strange thing – was it not? – That I never had the idea of devoting a quarter of an hour a day after shaving to the pursuit of mental efficiency… Your conscience tells you that your mind is less active and less informed than it might be… you say to yourself that you will take your mind in hand and do something with it. Wait a moment. What precautions are you going to take against failure this time? For your will is probably no stronger now than it was aforetime… What are your precautions? Have you thought of them? Failure in the past was due to one or more of three causes. And the first was that you undertook too much at the beginning… do not form an elaborate programme. Simply content yourself with a preliminary canter, a ridiculously easy preliminary canter… The second possible cause of previous failure was the disintegrating effect on the will-power of the ironic, superior smile of friends… Therefore don’t go and nail your flag to the mast. Don’t raise any flag. Say nothing. Work as unobtrusively as you can… The third possible cause was that you did not rearrange your day… Robbing yourself of sleep won’t help you, nor trying to ‘squeeze in’ a time for study between two other times. Use the knife, and use it freely. If you mean to read or think half an hour a day, arrange for an hour. A hundred percent margin is not too much for a beginner… We come now to what I may call the calisthenics of the business… [first exercise] There are few mental exercises better than learning great poetry or prose by heart… The chief, but not the only, merit of learning by heart as an exercise is that it compels the mind to concentrate. And the most important preliminary to self-development is the faculty of concentrating at will… [second exercise] the exercise of writing is an indispensable part of any genuine effort towards mental efficiency. I don’t care much what you write, so long as you compose sentences and achieve continuity. There are forty ways of writing in an unprofessional manner, and they are all good… After writing comes thinking.”

… And proficiency in thought is our ultimate goal.

Wrapping it up, I was particularly struck by the words of Harry Houdini in his quote under “Discipline through Will.” His words reminded me very much of Apostle Paul’s creed and I decided to re-phrased Houdini’s quote to reflect Paul’s thoughts and turn it into something we can declare as well.

I want to run well. I vehemently want to run well. For that I give all the thought, all the power that is in me. To stand before my King and hear Him say “Well Done!” It is all I ask… so I have struggled and fought. I have done and abstained; I have tortured my body and risked my life, only for that – to hear the praise of my Maker. I am strong, as you see; strong in flesh, but my will must be stronger than my flesh. I have struggled with iron and steel, with locks and chains; I have been beaten, spat upon, and harassed till my body has become almost insensible to pain; I have done things which rightly I could not do, because I said to myself, “You must”; because of Grace; because of faith; because of my King. I am only a man, and the flesh revenges itself. But the King is the master of my will, my will is the master of my flesh and my flesh will run this race well.

Amen

Be strong and courageous. Be disciplined.

(As has been demonstrated in the previous posts, my cents might not make sense unless you add your sense. So please comment and tell me what you think)

Manly Virtue No. 5: The Hunger Games and Self-Reliance…

I watched the 11:00 pm showing of the Hunger Games. That was a bad idea… I came out late with my hair standing up and too much adrenaline pumping through my veins. I can honestly say that I have never been that scared watching a movie… ever. Leaving the theatre and driving back, I couldn’t shake it. The Hunger Games brought to life a worldview, and its consequent brutality, that isn’t hard to imagine taking place today. The dread left me shaking, during and after the movie. It’s a great movie, go see it sometime. But bring an extra pair of trousers… just in case…

Self-Reliance is not a virtue. I think this is the only ‘virtue’ I will have to completely reject. If you think it has redemptive qualities, comment and let me know. This is due to some prolonged thought and, believe it or not, what I saw in the Hunger Games. A man that believes in himself to the extent that he is self-reliant becomes self-absorbed and when put under pressure, opts for self-preservation above sacrifice. That is what The Games are all about. Let’s replace Self-Reliance with first virtue, Manliness, and analyze The Hunger Games at the same time.

To briefly explain the movie (Don’t worry, no spoilers) the Hunger Games are essentially gladiatorial competitions. Created as a consequence for rebellion in previous years, the games are fueled by the tribute of two teens from each of twelve districts to the capitol every year. These teens have to fight to the death, surviving the ‘game’ they are thrust into. Logically, they have to survive on their own because, of the twenty four that go in, only one can come out. If only one can come out, you can’t trust anyone because at some point… you are going to have to kill them… or if the odds are against you… They’ll kill you. The stunning brutality that ensues is not for brutalities sake, but for the audience’s sake. That is why I recommend you see it. It warns the audience of the dangers of devaluing human life. It brilliantly contrasts the brutality of the games with a tenderness and sacrifice of Katniss and Peta. A selflessness that is out of place in a bloody arena and sadistic society.

“What Suzanne [Collins] has done brilliantly is create a series that is a critique of violence using violence to get that across,” ~ David Levithan, editor at Scholastic Press

Violence is in the darkest recess of every man’s heart, and when he relies on himself, it will often come out. Cue Self-Reliance.

John 15:5 says, “I am the vine and you are the branch. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.” When making a choice, we have two pairs of glasses to view it from, our own pair and the pair provided by God’s word. When we rely on our own pair of glasses (which can never be fully cleared of the grime); we will make decisions according to a self-centered and foggy lens. We will do what comes naturally: self-preservation and self-interest which will stop at nothing. See Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies and Gladiators. We should rely on Christ’s pair and continually search God’s word to clear out foggy spots (spots we don’t understand). We will never fully clean Christ’s spectacles, because there is no way for us to know every answer, but they will certainly be much cleaner and safer than our own.

Self-less men serve and sacrifice for someone other than themselves. Self-Reliant men can’t, they naturally just don’t have it in them. If there is a God who cares, there is a reason to be selfless and value the lives of others, like Peeta did. If there isn’t, then there is no moral code and you have to rely on yourself and the odds to survive this ravenous game. If you believe the latter, I can’t help you. But I wish you the best in your survival. “Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

Manly Virtue No. 4: Resolution

In 1869, John Roebling was inspired to build a bridge. Bridge building experts, however, rated it an ‘impossible feat’ and told John Roebling, and his son Washington, to forget it. Nevertheless, they started building. A few months into the project an accident killed John Roebling and left Washington injured with considerable brain damage. The critics shook their heads. Their warning had come true and now the project should be scrapped. All Washington could do was move one finger, but he wasn’t finished yet. By moving his finger, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife and for 13 years Washington spoke through her to the engineers using one finger. The bridge was completed.

All of the previous and the following virtues are useless unless you have the Resolution to carry them out. Resolving and, consequentially, acting is probably the most difficult part of becoming a man. Regardless, resolution was the key behind a paralyzed man’s effort to finish his father’s dream. Mixed with an incredible love, it also drove a carpenter’s son to bridge a much larger gap at the cost of his own life, for the sake of someone else. Resolution is the first taste of manhood, the mobilizing virtue for all the rest.

How do we become men of Resolve? The Business Philosopher published an article in 1909 which laid out five steps, or characteristics, for resolution.

 

Characteristic 1: The Ability to make a choice…

…while recognizing all of its positive or negative consequences. Regardless of the outcome, we need to make a fixed, definite, decision.

 

Characteristic 2: The choice should represent truth, our values and sound advice…

I will have to contradict the article here and add to it (thanks to some sense from a friend). The article said that the choice should be made according to our actual feelings. Feelings, however, are deceptive and fickle. Rather, we should make our decisions according to the sound advice of God’s word and wise friends. We tend to build our values off of what we have experienced and we borrow traits from people we admire. If you take your advice from the Bible and proven elders, the values you form from them will serve you well. Think otherwise? Leave a comment.

 

Characteristic 3: Having chosen one of several alternatives, all the rest should be banished from the mind…

“Doubt is over. Hesitancy is over. The die is cast.” Also note that regret should be permanently banished as well. “He will hesitate, doubt, compare, discriminate, speculate, and reconsider before the choice is made – but not afterwards… The successful man knows but little of regrets, cares but little for past failures, and broods but little over the blunders he has made. And he could not be successful if he did… If may have been another’s fault that he fell. It would have been his own had he lain there.”

 

Characteristic 4: Stand by your guns…

“Does the successful man ever make mistakes? He does. Does he never choose the wrong course? Sometimes. Does he never blunder in his decisions? Often. How, then, does he succeed? First, by having a predominance of correct decisions. Second, by enforcing these with unerring precision and celerity of movement.”

And if you do make a legitimate mistake, the manly thing to do would be to take responsibility for it, humble yourself and apologize. Believe it or not, taking responsibility for mistakes will build trust. Not only will people come to know that you will be honest when making decisions, but they also know that you will do what it takes to right your wrong. Even if that means standing up and admitting error.

 

Characteristic 5: The decision must be prompt…

“Our time is always limited. Even life is limited. And on many a hard-fought field promptness of decision turned defeat into victory… Men possessing great promptness and decisiveness of decision were men strongly given to meditation… In their solitary wanderings and musings they were picturing, dreaming, speculating, conjecturing as to the possibilities which might arise. And so to have promptness of decision accompanied by accuracy, there must be forethought and premeditation.” But who has time for musing with all the distractions we have today? Perhaps our generation is wrought with poor decisions because we simply don’t sit down and think enough. Something to think about… if you get the chance.

 

…And those are the five characteristics of Resolve. However, in your resolve, don’t forget who you are fighting for; who you are serving. Our plans do get carried away and a little success will fog up the brain. If unchecked, we will morph back into the self-serving, ‘fortunate,’ males. Simply rats in a rat race.

Rev 2:2-4 “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”

The Brooklyn Bridge stands today because of one man’s resolve to finish; we stand today because of one man’s selfless sacrifice, crazy love and resolve to complete His Father’s dream. With resolve, and the selfless service of real manhood, we can leave lasting monuments that bridge greater gaps than the waterway between New York and Long Island.

“And having thus chosen our course, without guile and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.” ~ Abraham Lincoln